Undergraduate admissions myths debunked

Prospective students for UNC’s Class of 2017 were admitted Jan. 25 — but many more applicants were not.

For years, students and applicants alike have believed several myths about the admissions process.

With the help of Barbara Polk, deputy director of undergraduate admissions, staff writer Trevor Casey determined which of these rumors are true and which are false.

Myth: If you are a legacy student, you’ll definitely get in.

Fact check: Definitely myth. If you are applying as an out-of-state student, then UNC can consider alumni ties and specifically whether your mother, father, stepmother or stepfather attended the University for at least one semester, excluding summer school.

For in-state applicants, it’s different. For these applicants, UNC really can’t use alumni connections unless in a tie-breaking situation, and there is a policy that prohibits discrimination against equal taxpayers of the state.

Myth: Athletics play a factor in out-of-state admissions.

Fact check: If you’re really good, then the admissions office will hear from one of the coaches in the program, who will recommend the student be admitted. If a student-athlete is admitted from out of state, they still count as an out-of-state student.

Myth: In-state students aren’t as smart as out-of-state students.

Fact check: Definitely myth. A good number of North Carolina residents would still be admitted even if applying from out of state, Polk said.

The University can take more North Carolina residents, so it can go deeper into the North Carolina pool. If you’re trying to compare in- and out-of-state students by test scores, they’re relatively similar.

North Carolina students average seven AP courses ­­— out-of-state average about eight. The differences aren’t dramatic.

Myth: It’s harder to be accepted if you are from a highly populated county in North Carolina.

Fact check: Myth — definite myth. There are no quotas by city, county, high school or state. Some people think it’s harder to get in from Wake or Mecklenberg counties because there are more students who want to get in and the University only takes a certain number. But there’s no truth to that at all.

UNC tends to take more students from in-state high schools that offer more college-level courses and magnet programs than it does from schools that have little to offer in terms of advanced courses. But Polk said the students at those schools are not disadvantaged.

The alumni association used to publish a map of the state and they would highlight where the students were coming from. Polk added that then you would expect the more populated areas of the state have a higher percentage of students here, but that’s common sense.

Myth: Attending an info session or taking a tour will be considered in admissions.

Fact check: No, that’s another myth. There are some colleges that do track the number of contacts applicants make with the school and how many times they come to visit campus. UNC is not one of those schools.

Myth: Your ranking in high school will affect whether you are admitted.

Fact check: Not all high schools rank, and if they do, they might not use the same system, so this factor doesn’t hold for all schools.

But, Polk said, common sense tells admissions officers that the higher an applicant is ranked in high school, the stronger academic record he or she has. Strong academic records are considered by the University in determining admissions, she said.

Contact the desk editor at university@dailytarheel.com